Garden Oaks · Shade structures
Under tall trees, an open pergola can be mostly about framing a space; out in a sunny back lawn it is about shade. If you want to sit outside in rain, that is a roofed cover — a different build.
| Open pergola | Roofed patio cover | |
|---|---|---|
| Rain | Passes through | Kept off the seating area |
| Shade | Filtered; depends on slat spacing and sun angle | Full under the roof |
| Water | Falls where it always did | Collected; needs gutters and a place to send it |
| Attachment | Freestanding or attached | Often attached; roof tie-in is its own scope |
| Review | Depends on size, location and scope | Roofed structures are more likely to need City permit review |
Watch where afternoon sun actually lands; an existing canopy may already shade the spot you are considering.
Size the structure to the table, sofa or kitchen it covers, plus walking room.
Post footings are placed around roots. Overhead branches also limit height and clearance.
Fans, lights and outlets mean wiring runs that are best planned before the build.
The budget tool uses $75 per square foot for a cedar pergola. A 12×16 ft footprint (192 sq ft) comes to $14,400 as an illustrative planning amount — open cedar only, not a roofed cover or a quote.
What happens under it, and where.
Sun, trees, posts, attachment and electrical.
Written scope; permit and restriction questions handled for your address and scope.
Footings, posts, beams and rafters or roof, then finish.
The project photo was built in the Houston Heights, not Garden Oaks. The cedar image is a style reference, not a Right Angle project.
